The Long View: Thoughts on the Economics Field from Three Environmental Economists

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes sits in on the annual conference of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists to talk with Sandra Aguilar-Gomez, an assistant professor of economics at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá, Colombia, about Aguilar-Gomez’s work on heat-induced overcrowding in hospitals in Mexico. They discuss the effect of heat on human health, the stress that high temperatures exert on the Mexican public health-care system, and the impact of overcrowded hospitals on patient outcomes. Aguilar-Gomez also shares strategies for bolstering the emergency preparedness of hospitals, such as improving communication between hospitals and encouraging people to take preventative measures during periods of extreme heat. References and recommendations: Sandra Aguilar-Gomez homepage; https://sandraaguilargomez.com/ “Babbage” podcast; https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/babbage-from-the-economist/id508376907 “How to Save the Planet” podcast; https://gimletmedia.com/shows/howtosaveaplanet

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with economists Maximilian Auffhammer, Paul J. Ferraro, and John Whitehead. All three guests are recent recipients of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists (AERE) Fellows Award. The AERE Fellows Program recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the field of environmental and resource economics, including research, mentorship, service in the AERE community, and policy advising. Auffhammer, Ferraro, and Whitehead reflect on their careers, discuss winning the award, and offer insights into the current state of environmental and resource economics and the evolution of the field. References and recommendations: Association of Environmental and Resource Economists; https://www.aere.org/ Berkeley/Sloan Summer School in Environmental and Energy Economics; https://www.auffhammer.com/summer-school “Pricing the Priceless: A History of Environmental Economics” by Spencer Banzhaf; https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/pricing-the-priceless/417AAD8A445E8B64BAD6BC201D2F2163 “Letter from Birmingham Jail” by Martin Luther King Jr.; https://digitalcollections.libraries.ua.edu/digital/collection/p17336coll22/id/2681/

In this week’s episode, host Margaret Walls talks with Lynne Lewis, currently a professor of economics at Bates College and an incoming professor of agricultural and resource economics at Colorado State University, about brown bears in Katmai National Park in Alaska. Lewis discusses the fan base for the brown bear population in Katmai, which is connected to the Fat Bear Week tournament held every October; surveys that indicate the amount of money people would be willing to pay to protect the brown bears in Katmai; the relationship between an animal’s perceived individuality and the value people place on the conservation of that animal or its local population; and potential problems associated with visitors overcrowding Katmai and other national parks in the United States. References and recommendations: “Getting to know you: individual animals, wildlife webcams, and willingness to pay for brown bear preservation” by Leslie Richardson and Lynne Lewis; https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/ajae.12249 “The charisma premium: Iconic individuals and wildlife values” by Christopher Costello, Lynne Lewis, John Lynham, and Leslie Richardson; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0095069623000906 Live cam of brown bears at Katmai National Park in Alaska; https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls “The Bears of Brooks Falls: Wildlife and Survival on Alaska’s Brooks River” by Michael Fitz; https://wwnorton.com/books/9781682685105 “The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music” by Dave Grohl; https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-storyteller-dave-grohl

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Stefano De Clara, head of secretariat at the International Carbon Action Partnership, about the continued development of emissions trading systems around the world in 2024. Emissions trading systems (ETSs) are market-based policies that set a cap on total greenhouse gas emissions or on a ratio of emissions to output (e.g., of generated electricity or manufactured steel). A limited number of emissions permits are auctioned or distributed in carbon markets, and emitters can then trade these permits within the market. De Clara discusses global trends in the development of carbon markets and trading systems, including innovative policy designs, and highlights emissions trading systems in the European Union, China, Latin America, Indonesia, and Canada. References and recommendations: “Emissions Trading Worldwide: 2024 ICAP Status Report” from the International Carbon Action Partnership; https://icapcarbonaction.com/en/publications/emissions-trading-worldwide-2024-icap-status-report “Silent Spring” by Rachel Carson; https://www.rachelcarson.org/silent-spring

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Kristin Hayes, senior director for research and policy engagement at Resources for the Future, about her experience at the wheel of an electric vehicle (EV). This episode continues a multipart series on EVs, which covers the most practical matters that EV users need to know. In this fourth episode of the series, Hayes discusses her experience with charging stations on a recent long-distance road trip, the comparison between the fuel costs of driving an EV versus a hybrid or internal combustion engine vehicle, and possible research questions about the future of uptake and infrastructure for EVs in the United States. This is the final episode in our series on EVs. As you listen, please still feel free to let us know if we’ve missed any questions that you’re curious about; we may address those in a future podcast episode or blog post. Next week, the podcast will return to our normally scheduled programming, which explores all aspects of environmental economics. ----- Related episodes in this series: Demystifying Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Sebastian Blanco; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/demystifying-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-sebastian-blanco Innovations in Electric Vehicle Batteries, with Micah Ziegler; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/innovations-in-electric-vehicle-batteries-with-micah-ziegler Expanding Access to Electric Vehicle Chargers, with Kimathi Boothe; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/expanding-access-to-electric-vehicle-chargers-with-kimathi-boothe Electric Road Trip: The Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Kristin Hayes; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/electric-road-trip-the-pros-and-cons-of-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-kristin-hayes ----- References and recommendations: “How to Know a Person” by David Brooks; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/652822/how-to-know-a-person-by-david-brooks/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Kimathi Boothe, the vice president of energy operations at Dunamis Clean Energy Partners, about infrastructure for charging electric vehicles (EVs) in the United States. This episode continues a multipart series on EVs, which covers the most practical matters that EV users need to know. In this third episode of the series, Boothe discusses types of EV chargers, trends toward standardizing chargers, factors that influence the density of EV charging stations in a given area, and improving access to EVs. Boothe also talks about federal policies that have helped expand the charging network in recent years. Boothe’s insights will be applied to the real world in next week’s episode about cross-country road trips in an EV—stay tuned. And as you listen, please let us know if we’ve missed any questions that you’re curious about; we may address those in a future podcast episode or blog post. If you’d rather steer yourself toward other topics, then tune back in after a couple weeks, when the podcast will return to our normally scheduled programming, which covers all kinds of matters related to environmental economics. ----- Related episodes in this series: Demystifying Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Sebastian Blanco; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/demystifying-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-sebastian-blanco Innovations in Electric Vehicle Batteries, with Micah Ziegler; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/innovations-in-electric-vehicle-batteries-with-micah-ziegler Expanding Access to Electric Vehicle Chargers, with Kimathi Boothe; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/expanding-access-to-electric-vehicle-chargers-with-kimathi-boothe Electric Road Trip: The Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Kristin Hayes; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/electric-road-trip-the-pros-and-cons-of-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-kristin-hayes ----- References and recommendations: “James: A Novel” by Percival Everett; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/738749/james-by-percival-everett/

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Micah Ziegler, an assistant professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology, about the science, policy, and economics behind electric vehicle (EV) batteries. This episode continues a multipart series on EVs, which covers some of the most practical matters that EV users need to know. In this second episode of the series, Ziegler discusses the history of the development of EV batteries (which might be longer than you think), the materials that are used in batteries, and technological advancements that have improved battery efficiency over the past century. Ziegler also highlights policy tools that may be especially effective at reducing the costs of clean energy technologies such as EV batteries. Future episodes will dive deeper on charging stations and road trips—stay tuned for those. And as you listen, please let us know if we’ve missed any questions that you’re curious about; we may address those in a future podcast episode or blog post. And if you’d rather not spin your wheels on this topic, then tune back in after a few weeks, when we’ll return to our normally scheduled programming, which covers all kinds of matters related to environmental economics. ----- Related episodes in this series: Demystifying Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Sebastian Blanco; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/demystifying-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-sebastian-blanco Innovations in Electric Vehicle Batteries, with Micah Ziegler; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/innovations-in-electric-vehicle-batteries-with-micah-ziegler Expanding Access to Electric Vehicle Chargers, with Kimathi Boothe; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/expanding-access-to-electric-vehicle-chargers-with-kimathi-boothe Electric Road Trip: The Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Kristin Hayes; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/electric-road-trip-the-pros-and-cons-of-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-kristin-hayes ----- References and recommendations: “Re-examining rates of lithium-ion battery technology improvement and cost decline” by Micah S. Ziegler and Jessika E. Trancik; https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ee/d0ee02681f “Determinants of lithium-ion battery technology cost decline” by Micah S. Ziegler, Juhyun Song, and Jessika E. Trancik; https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2021/ee/d1ee01313k “Evaluating the causes of cost reduction in photovoltaic modules” by Goksin Kavlak, James McNerney, and Jessika E. Trancik; https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301421518305196?via%3Dihub “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle; https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/301943/the-very-hungry-caterpillar-by-eric-carle/ “All the World” by Liz Garton Scanlon and Marla Frazee; https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/All-the-World/Liz-Garton-Scanlon/9781481431217 “Energy Firms, Green Groups and Others Reach Deal on Solar Farms” by Ivan Penn; https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/business/energy-environment/solar-farm-agreement.html “Americans don’t hate living near solar and wind farms as much as you might think” by Allyson Chiu, Emily Guskin, and Scott Clement; https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2023/10/03/solar-panels-wind-turbines-nimby/ “Demand for minerals sparks fear of mining abuses on Indigenous peoples’ lands” by Julia Simon; https://www.npr.org/2024/01/29/1226125617/demand-for-minerals-sparks-fear-of-mining-abuses-on-indigenous-peoples-lands “The U.S. is expanding CO2 pipelines. One poisoned town wants you to know its story” by Julia Simon; https://www.npr.org/2023/05/21/1172679786/carbon-capture-carbon-dioxide-pipeline

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Sebastian Blanco, editor-in-chief at SAE Media Group and a journalist on the automotive and vehicle-technology beat. This episode jump-starts a multipart series on electric vehicles (EVs), including the most practical matters that EV users need to know. In this first episode of the series, Blanco discusses the foundations of EV ownership. He covers different EV makes and models, the logistics of charging EVs at home and on the road, pro tips for locating charging stations through smartphone apps and other resources, and insights on EV maintenance based on his experience. Future episodes dive deeper on battery technology, charging stations, and driver experience. Listen in and stay tuned for those additional episodes in this series! Please let us know if we’ve missed any questions that you’re curious about; we may address those in a future podcast episode or blog post. And if you’re not interested in EV-ery detail, then tune back in after a few weeks, when we’ll return to our normally scheduled programming, which covers all kinds of topics in environmental economics. ----- Related episodes in this series: Demystifying Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Sebastian Blanco; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/demystifying-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-sebastian-blanco Innovations in Electric Vehicle Batteries, with Micah Ziegler; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/innovations-in-electric-vehicle-batteries-with-micah-ziegler Expanding Access to Electric Vehicle Chargers, with Kimathi Boothe; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/expanding-access-to-electric-vehicle-chargers-with-kimathi-boothe Electric Road Trip: The Pros and Cons of Electric Vehicle Ownership, with Kristin Hayes; https://soundcloud.com/resourcesradio/electric-road-trip-the-pros-and-cons-of-electric-vehicle-ownership-with-kristin-hayes ----- References and recommendations: PlugShare app for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; https://www.plugshare.com/ Flo app for electric vehicle charging infrastructure; https://www.flo.com/products/software/flo-mobile-app/ Alternative Fuels Data Center from the US Department of Energy; https://afdc.energy.gov/ “Transport Evolved” YouTube series; https://www.youtube.com/transportevolved “State of Charge” YouTube series; https://www.youtube.com/StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney

In this week’s episode, host Daniel Raimi talks with Travis Roach, an associate professor and director of the Central Policy Institute at the University of Central Oklahoma, about how the prevalence of air pollution may increase the incidence of fatal traffic accidents in the United States. Roach discusses the characteristics of airborne particulate matter that is 2.5 microns in diameter or less, which is air pollution known as PM2.5; the sources of PM2.5, including coal- and natural gas–fired power plants, vehicle tailpipe emissions, and wildfire smoke; the negative effects of PM2.5 exposure on physical health and cognitive functioning; and policies and technologies that can help reduce public exposure to PM2.5. References and recommendations: “Negative Externalities of Temporary Reductions in Cognition: Evidence from Particulate Matter Pollution and Fatal Car Crashes” by Anne M. Burton and Travis Roach; https://annemburton.com/pages/working_papers/Burton_Roach_Pollution.pdf PurpleAir sensors and maps that measure air-quality data “Prairie Up: An Introduction to Natural Garden Design” by Benjamin Vogt; https://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/?id=p086779

In this week’s episode, host Kristin Hayes talks with Fernando Vidal, a postdoctoral researcher at the Polymat research institute in Spain, about technological and policy options to create a more sustainable plastics economy. Vidal discusses the greenhouse gas emissions associated with the life cycle of plastics, changes to the chemical makeup and recycling of plastics that could reduce the impact of plastics on communities and the environment, and international efforts to reduce the negative impacts of the plastics economy. Vidal shares recommendations for a more sustainable plastics economy from an article that he coauthored, which recently was published in the journal “Nature.” References and recommendations: “Designing a circular carbon and plastics economy for a sustainable future” by Fernando Vidal, Eva R. van der Marel, Ryan W. F. Kerr, Caitlin McElroy, Nadia Schroeder, Celia Mitchell, Gloria Rosetto, Thomas T. D. Chen, Richard M. Bailey, Cameron Hepburn, Catherine Redgwell, and Charlotte K. Williams; https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06939-z “Nudes in Nature” photography exhibit by Laura Aguilar at the Phoenix Art Museum; https://phxart.org/exhibition/laura-aguilar/ Photographer Laura Aguilar; https://www.lauraaguilarphotography.com/